


To Preserve and Protect

by GemmaRose



Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Gen, Guardians are morons but not bad people, Memory Alteration, lots of spirits, not intentionally at least, spirit!Sophie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-07-23
Updated: 2013-07-23
Packaged: 2017-12-21 02:18:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,978
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/894644
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GemmaRose/pseuds/GemmaRose
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Guardians are not alone in their mission, but there is a group that does what they will not. This group calls themselves The Avatars. They protect the children on the streets and in homes, who have no room for hope, wonder, good memories, or fun; who have no room for belief. They do the jobs that the guardians do but on a smaller scale and not only that, but anyone and everyone can see them. The Avatars are imprints of the Guardians themselves. They were all humans at one point but were changed. There were originally four avatars, the Fear, Dream, Memory, and Wonder Avatars. Now, you must be wondering where the hope avatar is? There isn't one. Until now, that is. </p><p>In order to become an avatar the child chosen must have an absolute belief of the guardian they are to imprint on and an object that will not decay or be destroyed easily over time. The object becomes the avatars life line and power source. If it's destroyed, they die. Since Bunnymund only ever gave out eggs and chocolates he never gained any avatars, therefore the lack of hope in street children. Sophie, however, was the exception. (this starts kinda slow but it's not like that all the way through i promise)</p><p>de-anon from rotg-kink</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Sophie laid in bed, grinning at the little ceramic charm which hung around her neck. The tiny Easter egg was patterned with leaves similar to the ones which marked her favourite Guardian's forehead, and she felt warm and tingly all over just looking at the pendant. Her eyes fluttered shut, and the Dreamsand which curled over her head took the form of her playing with the Pooka and helping prepare for Easter.

\-----

Halfway around the world, a dark-skinned woman shivered and looked up from her book. She'd imbued enough fear in this area to keep the gangs away for a while. Marking her page, she shut the book and stood silently. Nobody noticed when her skin shimmered grey, or when she walked behind a tree and vanished into its shadow, and when she materialised in southern France only one head lifted.

"What trouble is there, Penny?"

She pursed her lips. "I'm not sure, but I've got a feeling we should convene."

The man sighed and stood, ruffling the hair of the urchin he'd been telling stories with. The child smiled up at the adults, and Julia gave her friend's arm a tug. The little girl scampered off, and the two adults looked at each other. The man's appearance shimmered, and his colourful jacket and brightly patterned baggy pants became a coat of feathers. His dip-dyed blonde hair became a short crest of turquoise feathers, and his sky blue eyes turned opalescent.

"Alright." he grumbled, hovering with his translucent gold wings. "Let's get Sarah first, she's somewhere in India if I remember rightly."

Penny smirked and opened up the shadow of a street lamp. "Tajikistan, actually. Right continent, though."

The man sighed, elbowing her in a friendly manner. "I can't keep track of all our shadows like you can."

The woman rolled her eyes and ushered her friend through the portal, following after and blinking as her eyes adjusted to the light of the public library. "I need new contacts." she grumbled, spotting the shortest of their number reading to a small circle of ragged-looking children. She closed the book and smiled, and the children began to talk amongst themselves.

"Sarah, we gotta go." Penny whispered when their friend approached

The curvy woman nodded, sun-bleached curls bouncing across a golden-tanned forehead. "Tim too?"

The man stuck out his tongue, and Penny rolled her eyes. "Yes, Tim too."

Sarah shimmered, and her dress turned into flowing Dreamsand robes. Her hair, likewise, became a gravity-defying mass of corkscrew curls in ceaseless motion. "Let's go." she smiled, sliding through Penny's shadow without hesitation.

Tim sighed and flew through the portal as well, coming out in the main room of Natasha's house. The Ukrainian woman was going through basic forms with her short sword, but stopped when her companions materialised behind the couch. "Where's the fire?"

Penny frowned slightly. "I'm not sure, but something big is gonna happen real soon."

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Brilliant, and in the meantime I suppose we're going to go over the contingency plans?"

Penny fixed her with a glare. "I'm still a black belt in-"

"Five kinds of martial arts, yeah, we know." Timothy said. "What we need to do is figure out what Penny's sensing, when and where it's gonna be, and get there so we can make it, well, less bad."

The others nodded, and Natasha pulled a globe from the nearest bookshelf. "Well then, no time to waste." she grinned as they gathered around the kitchen table, flickering absently between their human and Avatar forms. Unbeknownst to them, in a town called Burgess, a little girl slowly faded from all memory.


	2. Chapter 2

Sophie woke slowly, as always, and the first thing she saw was her new pendant. Smiling sleepily, she sat up and yawned. Sometime in the night she'd manage to roll off the bed, again, and her blanket was tangled around her. But she was pleasantly warm, and today was Monday, which meant going back to daycare and showing off her new necklace to the other girls. Picking out a pair of pants and a shirt, she sat back on her bed and waited for her mom to come help her get dressed. The clock's glowing numbers read 6:27 when she heard footsteps in the hall, and she dropped the doll in her hands to run to her door and pull it open.

Jamie walked past with his latest library book, and Sophie trotted over to knock on their mother's door. "Momma? Momma I gotta get clotheses on."

The door opened, and her mother smiled tiredly. "Of course."

Sophie beamed and ran back towards her own room, picking up the pink T-shirt she'd selected and holding it up. But her mother wasn't in the room, and when Sophie went back out into the hall she saw the adult walking downstairs. "Mommaaaaaaaa." she whined, running after the woman and tugging on her hand. "I gotta get dressed!"

Ms. Bennett nodded absently, and tears welled in Sophie's eyes. "Momma?"

The woman acted as if Sophie weren't even there, setting out only two bowls and ignoring the Cocoa Crisps which sat out of reach between Jamie's Rice Krispies and their mother's Cheerios. "I'm hungry." she whined, pouting at her family as hard as she could. No reaction. "HUNGRY!" she screamed, tears beginning to stream down her face. "HUNGRY, HUNGRY, HUNGRY!" she wailed, face growing hot as her tantrum got worse. Jamie got up to get a glass of water and stepped around her without even looking. He didn't stumble when she grabbed at his ankle, or react to how she wailed even though the same behaviour last week had made him cover his ears and gotten her sent to her room without desert.

Finally, she stopped screaming and just sobbed until her tears ran out. Was something wrong with her? Why wasn't her family paying attention? She registered a humming sound and sat up, looking around. "Tooth Fairy?" she asked thickly, wiping her runny nose on her nightgown.

"Close, but not quite." a man's voice said. He flew in from upstairs, moving slowly with her favourite stuffed animal in his hands. "My name's Timothy."

Sophie sniffled again. "'m Sophie." she mumbled, staring at his feathers as he landed a few feet in front of her. He smiled and held out the stuffed bunny, which she took eagerly and hugged tight. This day was not a good one at all. She should be with her friends, not cried out on the kitchen floor.

"Hey, it's alright." the fairy-man, Timothy, said softly. "I'm not gonna hurt you."

Sophie sniffled and uncurled a bit, though Hop Hop remained clutched to her chest. "Want momma." she mumbled, looking up at the man with baleful eyes. "Momma an Jamie, they-"

Tim ran a hand gently through her hair. "Shh, shh." he soothed, wings falling still. "I know. It happened to me too."

She looked at him with new interest. "Your momma ignored you?"

Timothy nodded sadly. "And my sisters, and my dad. But I'm okay now, you know why?"

"Why?" Sophie asked, forgetting that she was supposed to be sad.

Timothy smiled kindly. "Because I found a family that can see me."

Sophie cocked her head. "'nother fam'ly?"

He nodded, holding out his arms. "If you want, I can take you to them. We can help you."

Sophie smiled and stood, toddling over to wrap her arms around the Avatar of Memories. "But I gotta be home for dinner." she said firmly, looking Tim in the eye. "Momma needs me to make the pasta sauce."

Tim smiled sadly and lifted Sophie in his arms, cradling her. "I'm not sure about that, but we'll do our best." standing, he fluttered though an open window and looked at his shadow. "Penny, I got her. Make a hole."

Sophie leaned forward, and her tiny mouth fell open as Timothy's shadow became a swirly hole in the ground.

"Hold tight." the fairy-man said with a smile, and when Sophie tightened her grip around his neck he let them both fall. They popped out of the floor in an unfamiliar home, and the little girl's eyes opened wide. There was a woman in a red shirt and black jeans, another in a black dress, and a third in what looked like a yellow version of her mom's bath robe.

"Who are you?" she asked, blinking owlishly at the gathering.

Sarah smiled and walked over, climbing up on a chair to be closer to eye level with the girl. "My name is Sarah." she said soothingly. "The lady in red is Natasha, and the one in black is Penny." she smiled, showing a row of square little teeth just half a shade off of Jack's white. "What's your name?"

Sophie smiled. "I'm Sophie." she said, pointing to herself.

Sarah nodded, and Tim put the child down so they could be close to the same eye level. "Sophie, I'm going to tell you something very important, okay?" Sarah said quietly, irises shifting between warm brown and the yellow of her mom's ring.

Sophie nodded, completely forgetting that she was supposed to be afraid of strangers. "Okay."

Sarah smiled sadly, and placed a pair of small, soft hands on Sophie's shoulders. "You're not a normal little girl anymore. You're special, like us. And we're gonna be your family now."

Sophie's lower lip trembled. "I- I can't go home?"

Sarah shook her head, drawing the blonde girl close. "I'm afraid not, dear. But you can stay with Penny or Natasha until you want a place of your own."

Penny made an indignant sound, and Sophie wiped her nose on her nightgown again. "Can I have my toys? An my clothes an bed an-"

Sarah petted the girl's hair, and after a moment Penny produced a box of tissues. "Blow your nose, kid. Nat doesn't like snot on the furniture."

Sophie sat down and wiped at her runny nose, various hands petting her hair as she hiccuped herself to sleep.

The Avatars exchanged looks, remembering when each of them had been assigned, and all eyes turned to Penny.

"What?" the Fear Avatar asked, looking at her friends and the kid. "Oh, oh no." she said, shaking her head as realisation dawned on her. "Did you somehow miss the part where I'm Fear incarnate? I can't take care of a kid!"

"You took care of me." Timothy countered, picking up Sophie and holding her out to the dark-skinned woman. "Also, you know the most of any of us. You can teach her how to be seen, help her figure out her powers, I can't hardly do anything but fly."

Natasha nodded, looking at Sophie with something close to disdain. "My house has too many sharp objects, and you are the only one with a proper residence to speak of."

Penny gaped as Timothy put the child in her arms. "Residence? Guys, have you all gone bonkers? My home is almost as bad for kids as Nat's."

Sarah shook her head, smiling wryly. "I don't have a home, and Tim lives on the air. Tasha's got all sorts of dangerous, breakable things, and you've got an abandoned apartment building full of books. She's yours."

Penny sighed, acknowledging her defeat, and looked at the sleeping toddler in her arms. "Fine, I'll take her." she grumbled. "But only until she knows enough to not get herself killed."

Sarah smiled knowingly, and Penny rolled her eyes. "You can all go back to your duties, ya know. I'll make sure little Hope here doesn't die before you see her at the Solstice."

"You just called her Hope." Tim said, cocking his head. "Isn't her name Sophie?"

Penny smiled and lifted the Easter egg pendant. "With a token like this, what else could she be?"

Natasha beamed. "Finally, a Hope Avatar!"

Timothy looked at his own arms, then back to the slumbering child. "It hurt when I changed." he said slowly, rubbing a hand down his arm to banish the echoes of his skin erupting in agony. "And all that happened to me was getting feathers and wings. What is it gonna be like for her?"

Penny and Sarah shivered, remembering their own transformations. The burning skin, the pounding headaches as their hair fell out and grew back in under an hour. And they had barely changed.

"Tim, stay with me for the next week." Penny said authoritatively. "If she hasn't changed by then, I'll call for you when she does."

The Memory Avatar walked over, nodding farewell to the other two as he did, and when Penny opened a shadow he stepped into it without hesitation. She followed a moment after, and they were alone in her apartment building.

"C'mon." she smiled gently, looking at the little girl. "Let's put her in the room next to the Fantasy section."

Tim rolled his eyes, but trailed after his friend. One week until he saw open blue sky again. Just one week, and that'd be it.


	3. Chapter 3

Sophie woke with a start, clutching at Hop Hop as she looked around. She was in her room, but not quite. The window was in the wrong spot, as was the closet. The walls were the wrong colour, and through doorways that shouldn't be there she could see bookshelves stuffed almost to bursting. But she was in her own bed, and her shelves and bins of toys were in the right places, and for just a moment her bizarre morning seemed like nothing more than a bad dream. Then the door opened, and instead of her mom she saw the fairy man who'd taken her away from her home.

"Tim? How is she?"

"She's awake." he called down the hall, and Sophie shivered as the dark-skinned woman from earlier stepped out of the shadows in the corner.

"You don't have to shout, you know." she griped at Timothy, rubbing her head.

Sophie pulled her blanket up higher, despite how it felt like she was burning up with a fever. "Are you going to eat me?" she asked, trembling slightly under her sheets.

Penny pulled up short, the back of her hand hovering a few inches from Sophie's forehead. "Eat you? Now where would you get that idea?"

"Jamie tol' me the Boogieman eats little girls, an you look like the Boogieman. 'cept you're a girl."

Penny burst into giggles, sitting down on the edge of Sophie's bed. "Pitch Black has never eaten children, little one." she smiled, patting Sophie's cheek. "Nor have I. This is your new room, and my home shall be yours until you are old enough to make your own way. Natasha's was deemed too dangerous for one your age, and so you will be living with me from now on."

Sophie sniffled and hid under her blanket. "No." she said petulantly. "I want my real room, and my mommy, and Jamie."

Penny sighed, and Tim left to find somewhere to sleep. "Sophie," she began gently, pulling a small metal toy from her pocket. "Do you know what this is?"

The blonde peeked out from under her blanket and scrunched her face up, thinking hard. "An army man?" they had a bin of army men at the day care, but only the oldest kids were allowed to play with them, and those were green.

Penny chuckled. "Not quite. It's an old soldier doll, made of lead from the centre of the earth."

Sophie reached out curiously, and Penny gave the toy over carefully. "Be careful, Soph. This doll is special. You know why?"

The girl shook her head. "Why?"

"It's my Token, the thing that makes me like I am. Like you." she poked Sophie's nose, and the girl giggled as she returned the toy. Penny dropped it back in her pocket, and it vanished through the shadows to land back in its box in her room. "Do you want to know what makes it my Token?"

Sophie nodded, pulling the blanket around her like a cloak and sitting cross-legged under it.

Penny grinned. "It was a gift, from a very special man. I never forgot him, and after a while I became like him."

Sophie gasped. "Boogieman gave you the toy?"

Penny nodded. "Yes. My power is making people scared, but only in small doses unless I'm really mad."

Sophie giggled. "Does Tim an I have powers?"

Penny nodded. "If Timothy practiced more, he'd be able to manipulate memories with a single touch. And your powers have yet to manifest, but I'd bet my butt they'll involve Hope."

Sophie's face scrunched up. "Ma-ni-"

"Manifest. It means you don't have powers just yet, but they'll show up sooner or later."

Sophie beamed. "Why's that?"

"Because of this." Penny replied, tapping the pendant. "You're lucky, you know. The Easter Bunny doesn't interact much with kids."

Sophie giggled. "Bunny likes me. Gave me this to keep me safe. He said..." she made a face, trying to remember the Guardian's words. "Said if I could read it, it'd say 'Pro-tec-tion'."

Penny nodded. "Well that fits. You're gonna be a protector of Hope."

"Like Bunny?"

Penny nodded. "Except instead of only helping the kids who believe around Easter time, you'll help the ones who need you most."

Sophie grinned. "Help!"

Penny laughed and ruffled the girl's hair. "Yeah. You'll help people. But first you need to learn how, like Batman. He had to go live with strangers until he was ready to be a hero."

Sophie pouted as she thought, then nodded with a resolute expression. "So, I stay with you until I get big enough to live alone?"

Penny nodded. "Exactly."

Sophie smiled. "I'm hot. Can I have ice?"

Penny placed the back of her hand to Sophie's forehead, and had the girl been older she would've cursed out loud. She could feel the transformation starting, a raging fever accompanied by tiny hairs sprouting all across her fragile skin.

"TIMOTHY!" Penny yelled, holding Sophie's shoulder as she began to complain of pains in her legs and arms. The brightly feathered man burst in and landed running, banging his shin on Sophie's bedframe and almost falling over.

"Is it starting?"

"I'm scared." Sophie said, voice trembling.

Tim took one look at the girl, her face and neck covered in thick blonde hairs, and took her tiny hand in both of his as he sat opposite Penny. "Sophie, hey, look at me."

She turned her wide, frightened blue eyes to him, and he consciously turned his own irises back to their natural sky blue. "Am I gonna die? What's happening?"

Tim glanced at Penny and nodded towards the door, and the woman got up to leave. The moment she was out of sight, Sophie began crying. "I'm scared, Tim. What's going on?"

"Shh, shh." he soothed, stroking her hair. Great clumps came out under his hand, and he saw the beginnings of a pair of rabbitty ears. "You're gonna be fine."

Sophie screamed in pain, and Timothy gripped her hand tight as the shape of her head began to change. His transformation had been the most drastic, but he had a feeling that was already being usurped by Sophie's high-speed changes. It had taken him an hour to grow all his feathers, and Sophie looked more Pooka then Human after only five minutes. Her hand turned into a paw, and Timothy took her face in his hands. "Sophie, look at me." he ordered, locking eyes with the girl. Her gaze was wild, frenzied, full of a raw agony which he remembered all too clearly.

"Sophie, listen to my voice. You're going to get throught thick, 'kay? You're an Avatar. You're going to be perfectly fine." of course he had no way of knowing this, Penny had told him of Avatars before him who had gone insane or even died during their transformation. Mostly Hope and Memory, the two heaviest burdens and greatest bodily changes. But he had a feeling that this girl was going to be the one, the final Avatar to round out their ranks.

"It hurts." she whimpered in a less agonising moment, squeezing Timothy's hand tight enough he felt his bones creak.

"I know, I know." he reassured her. "But you're gonna be okay. You're gonna be fine. You're strong, Sophie. You're gonna make it."

Tears streamed down Sophie's cheeks, each gasping breath burning like fire as her lungs and throat changed. "It hurts." she wailed, writhing in a futile attempt to escape the agony which was currently her body.

"It's almost over." Timothy soothed, stroking her forehead. "Just a bit longer and you'll be all better."

Sophie screamed as loud as she could when the final coat of fur erupted from her skin, and she loosened her death grip on Timothy's hand. Her pyjamas laid in blood-soaked tatters beneath her red-matted coat of fur, and the sheets would have to be stripped and laundered quickly to avoid a Sophie-shaped blood stain.

Her tiny chest heaved, and eyes more vividly blue than before opened cautiously. "Am I dead?" she croaked, blinking slowly.

Timothy smiled relievedly. "Not a chance, Sophie. Didn't I promise you'd be fine?"

The girl smiled and pushed herself up to a sitting position. That's when she saw her torso, and the smile melted into abject horror. "What-"

Timothy ran a hand down her arm slowly, heedless of the blood which clung to his palm and feathers. "It's okay, Sophie. It's okay."

Sophie Bennett's eyes fluttered shut and she fell over backwards in a dead faint. Timothy sighed and picked her up, heading for the bathroom.

"Penny!" he called down the hall.

She nearly punched him when she stepped out of the door's shadow, only pulling her blow when she saw Sophie's limp frame. "Oh my god, is she-"

Tim beamed. "She's okay. Just needs a bath and some bed rest. I'll do the sheets if you wash her up."

Penny looked from the bloody child to the messy sheets, and held out her arms. "Go do the laundry, bird boy. I'll take care of Hope."


	4. Chapter 4

Sophie looked in her mirror, still not quite used to her Pookan appearance even after seven years training in it. Now her touch woke the hope which was buried even in the most desperate of cases, and when Penny took her out into war-torn countries she was able to rejoice at what they did rather than despair at why they needed to do it. And finally, finally, after years of walking unnoticed though crowds, Penny was going to teach her how to change back and forth. And she wanted to look clean when she saw her human face again.

Brushing her ears with her paws once more, she triple-checked her appearance. The almost butterfly-esque brown marking which labelled her as a protector still tufted up no matter how she groomed herself, but otherwise she looked decent. Her coat was glossy and not sticking up in any weird places, her leather chest protector was clean almost to a shine, and the utility belt which held her keys and other necessities was likewise in good maintenance. Her wrists and ankles were bare of the bandages Penny made her wear for sparring, and she actually smiled at her reflection. No matter how much Penny ensured her Avatar form was more comfortable, tonight Sophie would sleep as a human again.

Sighing, the young Avatar of Hope bounded down to the ground floor. Over the years she'd spent Pookan, she'd almost forgotten what her human face actually looked like. She wasn't even sure which form was her true one anymore.

"You're late." Penny remarked, flipping between her Avatar and Human forms like it was nothing.

"I didn't want to turn back and look like a mess." Sophie replied, sitting in front of the woman who had been her mentor and mother figure for the past seven years. Finally she could cease to be jealous of how her family interacted so casually with the human world and begin with some interaction of her own. Maybe she'd even be able to slip Penny's watchful eye and get into Burgess, see how Jamie was doing. Wow, he'd be all grown up now. Highschool Senior.

The blow caught her off-guard, and even from sitting she was knocked over.

"First, we spar. Then I'll teach you how to transform."

Sophie pouted, and Penny kicked at the blonde's head.

"If I were an enemy, I could have killed you five times by now."

"Should I put on my bandages?"

Penny paused for a second, then smiled. "It's the anniversary of your transformation, is it not?"

Sophie scowled. "Yes."

Penny grinned and ruffled the fur atop her Pooka girl's head. "I had to ask some unsociable spirits to get these, but it was worth it."

Sophie's ears tilted forward. "A gift?"

The Fear Avatar smiled and reached into her pocket, pulling out four long leather straps wrapped loosely around a staff like the ones she used when sparring with Natasha during Solstice meetings. She reached out, expecting Penny to yank it away at the last second, but the dark-skinned woman relinquished it without a fight. The straps wrapped neatly around her wrists and ankles, embroidered with tiny patterns in every shade of yellow and green. She picked out her symbol at one end of each, as well as what looked rather like a pair of wings at the opposite end, and several other things in between.

"I had to ask some really old Irish spirits to write that out for me, but they say 'Sophie, the bravest, strongest, most talented Avatar I've ever had the pleasure of training. You are our Hope.' I trust they're to your liking?"

The Pooka child launched herself forward and wrapped her arms around Penny's waist, butting her head against the taller woman's ribcage. "They're amazing!" she cried. "Thanks you so much, Penny."

The grey-skinned Avatar picked up the abandoned Bo staff and rapped Sophie between the ears playfully. "You'll be taking your weapons training with Natasha from now on, and I'll have Arachne add a holster to the back of your chest guard."

Sophie beamed, tracing the notches and carvings around the centre of her weapon. Her staff, not one of Natasha's clunky old sticks with duct tape grips, but one of her very own. Laying the beautiful gift down against the wall by the door, she walked back to the middle of the mat where Penny waited with a fond smile. "Let's spar." she said with a grin.

\-----

The two-hour session went quickly, and at the end of it both Avatars gleamed with sweat. They ate quickly, and as they settled down in the silent library afterwards Sophie nervously groomed herself. Penny slapped the younger Avatar's paws, and Sophie gave her mentor an apologetic smile.

"Changing between your forms is unlike any of the other powers you've utilised so far." the dark-skinned woman said, "It is not a piece of you to be imparted, or a piece of your target to be redirected, but rather like a large rock which must be rolled up a hill, and then come to rest in a valley on the other side."

Sophie nodded, closing her eyes.

"Envision a large boulder, or a ball. This is your self, how the rest of the world sees you."

Sophie nodded, picturing an orange as tall as she was and a track like the ones she'd seen at Jamie's school Fun Fair. "I see it."

"Good. Now, push it up the track."

Sophie nodded, and as she tried Penny continued to speak softly.

"The ball does not change, it does not grow heavier, or lighter. This is because you are the same person, no matter your form."

Sophie nodded, breathing deeply and rhythmically. She'd almost rolled the orange all the way up and her entire body felt tingly.

"As you reach the peak, you must slow the ball. Keep it under your control, or it will rebound and you will be back at the bottom of the hill."

Sophie nodded. Exactly like the game at the Fun Fair, where you had to bowl the ball down the rails so it settled between the hills without rolling back to you. In her mind's eye she stepped around to the other side of the orange and- it promptly rolled back away down the hill she'd just come up. She cried out in frustration, and a warm hand settled on her shoulder.

"Tell me." Penny said softly. "Where did you lose the ball?"

Sophie scowled. "I was pushing an orange up some tracks, and at the top it just, rolled back."

Penny sat back and nodded with a grin. "That's impressive, Sophie. Would you like to know what you looked like?"

Sophie nodded eagerly.

"You looked like any other strong young lady your age, except with bunny ears and short fluffy fur all over."

Sophie chuckled. "So, how long do you think it'll take for me to go back to looking like a normal person?"

Penny tilted her head, weighing the variables. "If you continue to show this much talent, you might be able to hold a human form for a few hours by the end of the day."

Sophie gaped. "Only a few hours?"

Penny smiled bemusedly. "Why do you think we cycle so frequently? When untrained, it takes enormous effort to hold any form but your Avatar one. It also takes at least a margin of concentration, which is why you must always fight another spirit in your Avatar form."

Sophie groaned and dropped her head into her hands. "Will I ever be able to just be normal again?"

Penny fixed her charge and apprentice with a hard look. "Sophie, don't you ever wish to be normal. You have been gifted with enormous powers, and we have barely begun to scratch the surface of your abilities." she leaned forward and pulled the younger girl's hands from her face. "You were born for this, Sophie. I was trained by an ancient Norse trickster, and in turn I trained Sarah, and North, and even Timothy in using their powers. You have learnt everything at nearly twice the rate I did, and well more than that when compared to the others. You are a prodigy, and if you were normal, you would never have had the chance to reach your full potential."

Sophie grinned slightly, straightening her back. Penny's motivational speeches never failed to make her feel better. "Try, try again, right?" she said. Penny nodded, and the pair began again the process of teaching Sophie how to become a visible human again.

\-----

It took well over four dozen failed attempts, but at dinner Sophie managed to make human fingers steer her grilled cheese up to a human mouth. She hadn't expected her balance and coordination to be so thrown off by such a simple thing, or that the clothing which appeared when she transformed would feel so odd on her naked skin. Her nose and chin looked odd, and each time the hair not in her ponytail brushed against her ear she startled a little. Her bangs were no more, and she didn't dare ask to have them cut back in for fear that the change would be reflected in her fur.

Setting down her food, Sophie pushed her chair away from the table. It only took a minute for her to change back, and when she was once more covered in fur she sighed in relief.

"So, which form do you prefer?" Penny asked with a small, amused smile.

Sophie's ears drooped back. "This one. When I'm human I feel so..."

"Vulnerable?"

The blonde nodded, finishing the rest of her sandwich in two bites. "I forgot how small a human child is, and nothing works the same. I can't hear right, can't see right, the air tastes all wrong, it even takes conscious effort to chew!"

Penny smiled and patted the girl's elbow. "That is why, starting tomorrow, Sarah will be sparring with you in human form. You must be able to defend yourself from lechers just as well as malicious spirits."

Sophie rolled her eyes and slugged the remainder of her water before pushing her chair back in with a foot. "I'm tired. See ya in the morning."

Penny nodded, taking another bite of her own meal. "If hear your furry Pooka feet coming down the stairs, I'll tell Tasha you're sick on your first day of weapons training."

Sophie grumbled, not deigning to respond as she slouched up the stairs. All that looking forward to being human again, and by the time she managed it she was more comfortable as a giant rabbit girl. Glancing in the mirror, she twitched her ears and smiled. Negativity wasn't a good look on her at all. In fact, she realised, she rather liked her Pookan form.

Her straps, belt, and protector came off easily, and she hung them on the pegs next to her new staff. Curling up in the Pooka-style bed which had long since replaced her old human one, Sophie pushed herself to become human, reminding herself that only in this form would Jamie be able to see her. If she performed well in her weapons training, Natasha might even take her to see her family and not tell Penny.

As the girl drifted off with thoughts of sparring on a frozen lake, she let herself turn back into a Pooka. Soon, she'd be able to see Jamie again. Even if the magic of the Avatars had removed her existence from all record and memory, she'd be able to check up on her family and friends.


	5. Chapter 5

Sophie twirled, blocking Sarah's strike and flipping the shorter woman with ease. Penny lashed out from behind, and the lithe blonde danced back from her kick. It had taken three years to bring her coordination in human form anywhere close to what it was in her Pookan default, and as she jabbed her mentor in the solar plexus and windpipe in quick succession Sophie realised why they'd picked her tenth changing-day for this test. They were looking to see if she was ready to strike out on her own. Catching Sarah's punch before it could hit, the youngest Avatar slammed her aunt down on top of her mentor and dropped a knee on top of them both.

"I did it." she panted, grinning viciously. "I win."

Sarah grinned as her young friend stood, shimmering back into her Avatar form. "That was amazing, Sophie." she enthused, taking the girl's hands in her own. "I think you might be able to take even the legendary Frost in a fair fight."

Penny snorted, picking herself up before shifting back into her grey-skinned default. "She could take Frost without trouble, that boy is overconfident and clumsy."

Natasha and Janice walked out onto the ice, and Sophie hugged both her adoptive grandmother and younger sister. Admittedly Janice was physically older, but Natasha had only discovered her this past winter so she was the baby of their family. Timothy landed hard on the shore and slid out onto the ice, making Sophie giggle as he fell flat on his ass.

"Did I miss it?"

Penny rolled her eyes. "The whole thing. For the Memory Avatar, you sure are absentminded."

the fairy man frowned. "I got lost on my way through the windows."

Janice laughed and helped Sophie's brother figure to his feet. "We should nail a GPS to your head."

"That's not a bad idea." Sarah agreed, and the ragtag family wandered off the frozen lake towards the nearest town. Penny sent Janice through a shadow back to Natasha's house, and the rest of them assumed their human forms as they walked into a small restaurant.

The waiter who took their order looked familiar, and it took Sophie a moment to realise why. As he walked away, she buried her face in her hands. "You did this on purpose, didn't you?" she grumbled at Penny.

The dark-skinned woman grinned and opened her menu. "If Jamie chose to live next to a lake which stays solidly frozen eight months a year, it's nothing to do with me."

Sophie smiled when her brother came back to take their orders, but her cheeks went pink when she realised he was flirting with her. "Sorry, I'm taken." she lied easily, resisting the impulse to touch up his hope as he glanced at Tim and assured her it was fine.

Timothy raised an eyebrow, and she stuck her tongue out at him. "That, Jamie, you ass." she whispered when he'd walked off to the kitchen to give the cook their orders. "My big brother."

Timothy and Natasha started laughing, despite Sophie's protests that it was no laughing matter, but aside from that their celebratory meal went off without a hitch. Penny paid in bills pulled from her pocket, Sophie had learnt not to ask where they came from ages ago, and after a minute's argument they left Jamie a double tip.

Leaving, they walked into a nearby alley and Penny used shadows to send them all back where they needed to be. the Avatars of Hope and Fear went last, of course, and as soon as they were inside the apartment building Sophie set to collecting her things. Only the essentials were coming with her to New Zealand, where she was going to create her own Warren. Her pendant came out of its little box and was clasped around her neck, the not-quite-oval of porcelain sitting proudly just at the top of her ruff. If someone had told her on her fourth birthday that she'd be moving out when she was 14, she would've laughed herself silly. But here she was, getting ready to move to an entirely new continent and create her own home to retreat to when she needed it.

Breathing deep, she cycled quickly from Pooka to Human and back again. The imaginary orange was now only the size of a bowling ball, and when she opened her eyes Sophie smiled wide. Sliding down the banister, she gave Penny a quick hug and chattered the basics of what she was doing before darting down to the basement. She needed solid ground to do this, unlike Bunny who could summon a tunnel wherever he wanted. Envisioning a piece of cloth ripping, Sophie thumped her foot on the ground twice. She felt more than heard the tunnel mouth opening, and jumped in feet first before Penny could tell her to stop. She was free now, capable of defending herself and creating her own home. She just had to make one first.


	6. Chapter 6

Bunnymund lifted his head from sketching a mountain range and twitched his ears. Somebody was digging nearby, and he could smell the magic even from here. Stashing his supplies in their satchel, he ran towards the source of the sound. He slowed to a walk when he could feel the vibrations under his feet, and shifting into his human form was as simple as breathing. Australian artist, out sketching the scenery, curious about the sound. It was close enough to the truth to be believable, and should it turn out to be another spirit he'd just take them down a peg and remind them who owned these islands.

Cresting the swell of earth, he raised an eyebrow at the neat, round hole which led into the hillside. The stench of magic was almost overpowering. Definitely a spirit, as this wasn't wizard magic. Probably a minor sprite with an enchanted shovel or something, trying to make a Hobbit hole. It wouldn't be the first time he'd chased off an idiot spirit with grand ideas inspired by Tolkien's work.

Jumping down, he adjusted his satchel and walked into the tunnel. It led down in a neat spiral, and when Bunny came out at the bottom his eyes widened. Whatever spirit had done this, they knew his home. The space was a smaller version of his own home, grass and flowers already beginning to grow under the attentions of a handful of Spring spirits. None of them bore the stench of magic, however, so he continued on. A meandering line of slate pieces led to a curtained doorway, and Bunny had to admit that whoever had made this was skilled indeed. And popular, if they had Spring spirits on their setup crew.

Shifting back into his natural form, the Guardian drew himself up to his full height as he passed through the doorway. He had to tuck his ears down a bit, but to his surprise that was all he had to do. The entrance was made for someone who was very tall, and Bunny crossed off about half of his mental suspect list. Hestia and a girl who couldn't possibly be more than 13. Possibly another Spring spirit, going by the long blonde hair and easy laugh.

"Alright." he growled. "Whose brilliant idea was this project?"

Both girls looked at him, and the blonde one's blue eyes sparked with something he couldn't name. "Bunny?"

Hestia took the half-finished basket from the blonde as she stood, almost tripping over her own feet in her haste to approach the Guardian. Bunny looked down at the girl, eyes narrowing. "I asked a question, and unless you want to be stuck with Mother Nature next Spring you are going to answer it."

The girl scoffed and waved her hand. "Like she could keep me if she tried. I'm the architect of this place. It's my home. Still needs a bit of polish, but my buddies are helping me with that." she gestured to Hestia, who had finished weaving one basket and was working on the blonde's project.

Bunny's eyelid twitched. "You? You impudent little runt, do you know who I am?"

The girl smiled, and it was slightly more cruel than her previous unrefrained beaming. "How could I not? You're the one who made me like this, after all."

That made Bunny pull up short. "I've never made a Seasonal in my life, or any other sort of spirit for that matter."

Her eyes went hard, and between one double-heartbeat and the next she'd changed from a slip of a Human-shaped thing to a Pooka almost his height, decked out in a leather tube top and embroidered fighters bands. He spotted Hope and Protector at the clasps, but for any more he would've needed to examine them more closely and his brain was rather stuck on the fact that there was a female Pooka pointing a Bo staff at his nose. She wouldn't be of courting age for another few decades at least, but after reading the 'Protector' clan mark on her forehead his eyes flicked to her ruff. And he stopped breathing for a moment.

The girl glanced at her pendant and snorted, lifting it with one paw. "Recognise this?"

Bunny nodded. "That's my kit's. It was a good luck charm, to keep her safe while I-"

The blonde Pooka laughed mirthlessly. "Some luck it brought me." she snapped, dropping it to sit on her ruff again. "I was just a normal little girl until you decided to give me this cursed thing."

Hestia started on her fourth container as Bunny's brows drew together. "I would never, ever give that away."

The girl laughed again. "Right, like you said you'd never forget me. Like you promised you would come when I needed you most."

The girl let out a hard breath and shrank down to the size of a kit before turning back into a human, this time a toddler with uneven bangs and wide blue eyes. "Bunny!" she cried, arms up as if expecting to be lifted.

The Guardian of Hope's legs almost gave out under him. "Sophie?"

She turned back into a blonde Pooka in an instant, fixing the Guardian with a glare. "Thanks so much for figuring that out." she bit out angrily. "Now leave, before I put ten years of martial arts and three of Bo fighting into practice on your sorry ass."

Bunny stepped backwards, eyes locked with Sophie's. He had so many unanswered questions, but to ask any one of them now might set her off. She looked truly dangerous with that staff, but as he pulled the jet curtain aside he couldn't resist asking one question. "Where have you been?"

Sophie snorted. "Mostly? In an abandoned apartment building somewhere in the States. But Penny took me everywhere, part of training for my position."

Bunny wanted so very badly to ask what she meant by position, why nobody had remembered her, but his common sense over-ruled those impulses and he stepped out of the small, cozy room. Straight into a tunnel which was not his own. He tumbled head over heels until he was ejected into the dye river, and when he got out the only sign that there was ever a tunnel there was a single spray of yellow Alomeria.

A few days later, once all the colour and glitter had come out of his coat, he opened a tunnel to the Pole. He and North needed to have a talk about a certain little girl who had apparently missed ten whole years of Christmas presents.


	7. Chapter 7

Sophie sighed, collapsing into her nest-bed with a groan. She'd covered at least a dozen shelters in three cities,and playing the part of a homeless teen always exhausted her. It was times like this she truly resented the Guardian of Hope, though their similarities allowed her to better protect her home and aid those who needed what she could offer. Her skin prickled, and the now-17 year old Avatar raised her head irritatedly. To see a sack descending over her.

Grogginess slowed her reaction time just enough for the red cloth to envelop her, and without proper leverage she was powerless. Her staff laid in the corner of her room, now decidedly out of reach, and she kept her nails blunt enough to not hurt people when she passed them in her Avatar form.

There was a sound of breaking glass, and though she couldn't see it Sophie sensed North's magic. The third rule Penny had ingrained in the girl was to avoid interactions with the Guardians as much as possible. Avatars and Guardians were not compatible. She felt herself pass through the portal, and as soon as she landed she was out of the sack like a shot, She nearly made it back through the portal, but a Yeti forced her to change course mid-leap. Bouncing off its furry chest, she ricocheted around the room until she passed a group of elves with a push-broom. In lieu of her staff, it would have to do.

The head came off with a single twist, and she landed hard facing the stunned figures she'd once revered. If they did their jobs properly, she and the other Avatars wouldn't even be necessary. Adrenaline flushed the sleepiness from her system, and she held the makeshift staff firmly. "What do you want?"

Five pairs of eyes blinked, and Sophie narrowed her eyes. "If you called me here for no reason, I'd like to get back home. I need to sleep."

Jack shook his head like a wet dog. "Sorry, ma'am. There must've been a misunderstanding. Bunny told us you were Jamie's sister."

Sophie pulled herself up straight, wishing she could just pound their stupid faces in. But rule number two was to never pick a fight you can't win, and this was a battle she'd lose unless Natasha was on her side. Sighing exasperatedly, she fixed Jack with a glare. "I was Sophie Bennett, but that girl ceased to exist 13 years ago."

"Prove it." the winter sprite said, taking a step forward.

Sophie rolled her eyes, but did as he asked. This time she wore a frayed green hoodie with yellow flowers over grungy bootcut jeans and raggedy black converse. The same outfit she'd seen on a girl she helped at her second shelter that day. Her hair was loose, and she brushed it out of her face to give the assembled spirits an exasperated look. "Does this prove it?"

Tooth flew forward, her motions quicker and more fluid than Tim's jerky, cautious hovering. Sophie nearly bit the fairy when the Guardian's fingers went in her mouth, but Tooth was already across the room again. "It's her. I never forget a set of teeth."

Sophie snorted, shifting back to her default form. "Now that's settled, can I go home? I've got a busy day tomorrow, and the kids don't need to see someone sleeping."

North shook his head. "We will not keep you long, but there are questions that need asking."

Had she been in her human form, Sophie would've huffed the ever-present stray hairs off her forehead. "Well then, I'd like to make some calls first."

Sandy nodded, tugging on Jack's sleeve so the youngest Guardian would look at him. The symbols which flashed over his head were incomprehensible to her, but Jack seemed to understand them because he nodded. "I'll accompany you."

Sophie grinned and held out a hand. "Snowglobe would help with this. A lot."

North handed one over without complaint, and Sophie said nothing before smashing it on the ground. Stepping through with Jack on her heel, she emerged in the room which has once been hers. Books lined the walls, but her old nest-bed and dresser sat in the corner where she'd left them. Penny appeared at the door in under a minute, her skin a rich brown, and Sophie beamed.

"Penny!"

"Sophie, what's he doing here?"

The Pooka girl grinned wickedly. "Remember that epic showdown Sarah always spun stories about?"

Penny's eyes widened, and Sophie nodded. "C'mon, we gotta take him with us. Let's get Tim first."

Penny tapped her chin, then nodded. "He's having dinner with Sarah. Two birds with one stone."

"Wait, wait, who're these guys you're talking about?"

Sophie rolled her eyes and turned, fixing the Guardian of Joy with a glare. "'These guys' are my family, and if you're going to hold me against my will I'm not going to be alone."

Penny nodded, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder. "We stand together or not at all. Now come on, the portal's behind the door."

Jack walked over and looked in the shadowy crack behind the slab of wood. "I don't see anyth-"

The end of his sentence was cut off as Sophie pushed him through the shadow, jumping after him without hesitation. They appeared in the middle of a restaurant, and her brother and aunt looked up in sync.

They phased Avatar at the sight of Jack, but when a waiter walked through the Guardian they fell out of their battle poses. Jack gasped, and Penny pulled open his shadow. He fell through, and then each of them fell through their own shadow into Natasha's sitting room.

"You've been practicing?" Sophie asked with a smile.

Penny nodded. "We should spar sometime, I'm sure you're getting rusty."

Jack gave them an odd look, and Sophie casually flipped him off. "We'll talk later, for now let's just get Natasha and Janice."

"Natasha's out right now. Should I clock the dumbass?" ask a white-haired young woman in the doorway, soapy frying pan in hand. Her blue blouse and white skirt crackled with frost, and Jack could only blink dumbly.

Penny shook her head, and Sophie answered. "Nah. We need him awake or his friends will kill us."

Janice raised an eyebrow. "One minute, I'll finish cleaning this and then we can go get her. She's somewhere in Canada, I think."

Jack gaped after Janice left, and Timothy turned to Sophie with an expectant look. "Care to explain why we're standing up for a Guardian?"

Sophie sighed. "I was stupid. Bunny caught me digging my Burrow, and I may have told him who I was before threatening him."

Sarah whistled low. "That, Soph, was-"

"I know what it was." she snapped, tugging on her ears. "Can we please save this for after?"

Tim nodded, and Sophie leaned into his touch as he scratched behind her ears. Janice reappeared with a pair of daggers on her belt, and Penny made a portal of the shadows under the couch. Sophie kicked jack through again, following a split second after so as to defend him from Natasha.

The elderly Avatar hadn't even noticed the Guardian's presence yet, so wrapped up was she in entertaining a trio of dirty-faced children with her spinning swords. Jack stared, mesmerised, and the group remained silent until Natasha had finished her display and bowed.

The children scattered, and Penny tapped the Wonder Avatar on the shoulder. Natasha turned, hair turning white as she flickered into her Avatar form, and the gleaming sabres were aimed at Jack's throat in a heartbeat. "You." she snarled, eyes narrowing.

Jack stepped back, hands coming up in the universal gesture of 'I'm harmless don't hurt me', and Sophie rolled her eyes as Sarah pulled Natasha past the wintery Guardian.

"Penny, we're going to the workshop." she said quietly, grabbing Jack's hood perhaps a bit more roughly than was necessary.

The grey-skinned woman raised an eyebrow, and Sophie nodded. Forbidden or not, they were heading to the best defended Guardian base. Penny opened a shadow, and Jack wrenched himself from Sophie's grip to dash through first. The Pooka girl chuckled and high-fived Tim. Served him right for all the kids his careless storms had killed.

The second-youngest Avatar motioned for her family to pass through first, and before stepping through herself she grabbed Penny's wrist. The Fear Avatar made an indignant sound, and the pair materialised in North's Workshop Sophie giggled. Jack was in the middle of the Guardians, who all looked stunned.

Sophie sauntered up behind Timothy and slung an arm around his shoulders. "Guardians, this is my family."


End file.
